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Kids will explore French culture at Aux Petits Soins Summer Camp

Posted on by Aux Petits Soins admin

This summer, Lansing-area kids can explore French culture, food and customs right here in mid-Michigan at Aux Petits Soins Summer Camp. This first-ever event will run July 9-13 and July 16-20 from 9 a.m.-noon.

Kids age 5-12 can join us for one or both weeks of fun learning and social activities. Aux Petits Soins’ head instructor, Gaëlle, and DeWitt High School French teacher, Katie, will engage kids through active learning vocabulary words for having a basic conversation in French and receive a primer on French phonemes (the distinct sounds particular to foreign languages) that will better enable hearing, reading and speaking fluent, accent-free French.

Kids will get their hands on French culture through engaging board games, cooking lessons and art classes. The goal is introduce kids to a new language and culture, and to make French fun and a memorable experience. More details to follow.

Registration is now open – register here!

 

Meet the winner of our second annual #APSAprilFool contest

Posted on by Aux Petits Soins admin

French people have a unique way of celebrating April Fool’s Day: you tape a fish on the back of an unsuspecting “victim,” and when the prank is discovered, you scream “Poisson d’Avril!” It’s a tradition that dates back to the 16th century, and has to do with an unpopular king’s decree for a calendar change that bumped the new year celebration from April 1 to January 1. It’s a long story, but you can find out more here or here.

On April 1, we hosted our second annual APS April Fool’s Day event, which this year we turned into a contest. We asked everybody to post pictures with the hashtag #APSAprilFool on social media, with the best picture winning a special prize pack.

And meet the winner! Audrey and her daughter Hannah, won gift certificates from Le Bon Macaron and Aux Petits Soins. Congratulations, we can’t wait to meet you both!

FREE classes at Aux Petits Soins

Posted on by Aux Petits Soins admin

This week, we will offer FREE classes for kids 0-5. These classes will be held at Aux Petits Soins. A full description of our programs is available on our website.

Here is the schedule:
• Day Trippers (birth-6 months) 9 a.m. on Saturdays
• Explorers I (6-18 months) 5:15 p.m. on Tuesdays (FULL) and 10:30 a.m. on Fridays
• Explorers II (18 months-3 years) 5:15 p.m. on Wednesdays (FULL) and 10:30 a.m. on Saturdays
• Explorers III (3-5 years) 5:15 p.m. on Thursdays, 5:15 p.m. on Fridays and 9:30 a.m. on Saturdays

Due to the limited size of the classes, registration is required.

    Your Name (required)

    Your Email (required)

    Name and age of your child(ren) (required)

    Please choose to which event(s) you would like to attend:

    Day Trippers (0-6 months)

    Explorers I (6–18 months)

    Explorers II (18 months–3 years)

    Explorers III (3-5 years)

    How did you hear about Aux Petits Soins?

    Bonne Epiphanie 2018!

    Posted on by Aux Petits Soins admin

    Today, the French celebrate Epiphanie (Epiphany). On this occasion, we share a cake named galette des rois (Kings’ Cake), a pastry that has small charms baked inside. This pastry is also filled with frangipane, a cream made from sweet almonds, butter, eggs, and sugar. I can’t wait to share this tradition with everybody on January 14 from 4-6 p.m. Full description of the event is available here.

    Aux Petits Soins’ Small Business Saturday SALE

    Posted on by Aux Petits Soins admin

    Between Nov. 22 and Nov. 25, all our 12-week packages are on sale! Always wanted to learn French or have someone on your list who has. Here is the perfect opportunity for first time students to start! Check out our deals. We have classes for babies, toddlers, kids and adults.

    These packages are for the 12-week winter session (Jan 8 – April 1).

    Aux Petits Soins fête Halloween!

    Posted on by Aux Petits Soins admin

    Calling all ghosts, witches and werewolves — or should I say, calling all fantômes, sorcières et loup-garous. This Sunday, Aux Petits Soins will host its First Annual Halloween Party!

    For two hours, we will transform Aux Petits Soins into a fun “haunted house,” complete with dry ice fog and spooky sound effects. There will be a craft table where kids can decorate their own pumpkins, a scary (but not too scary) Tunnel of Terror and more. Of course, we’ll incorporate French lessons into the fun, including learning French Halloween vocabulary words and some of the distinctive French Halloween traditions.

    This event is designed for kids between the ages of 18 months and 12 years and is not limited to APS students. Space is limited to 20 kids, so make sure to reserve your tickets today. For details and more information, check out the event page on our website, or call (517) 999-7277.

    French Halloween facts:

    • Celebrating Halloween is a relatively new concept in France, first appearing in the late 1990s.
    • At that time, public schools started promoting Halloween as an alternative to only focusing on religious holidays, as most French holidays revolve around Catholic traditions.
    • This new Halloween celebration quickly became a hit for kids, especially in small cities, as most kids from big cities travel during autumn break.
    • As in the United States, kids knock at doors to beg for candy, only in France their version of “trick or treat” is “des friandises ou des bêtises!” (“sweets or mischief!”)
    • Additionally, there is no couvre-feu (curfew) as all schools close for a couple weeks starting the third Friday of October.

     

     

     

    First Annual French Culture Appreciation Week

    Posted on by Aux Petits Soins admin

    The First Annual French Culture Appreciation Week runs Sept. 4-9. The event is designed to highlight French culture in mid-Michigan, and will culminate in a gift basket giveaway filled with more than $250 worth of gift certificates to local French-themed businesses and associations. Aux Petits Soins will also host free classes for all ages, including our new adult French class program, and there will be expanded open hours for the Aux Petits Soins Activity Center & Library.

    To qualify for the gift basket drawing, all you have to do is pay attention to our Facebook page during the week of Sept. 4-9. Every day, we’ll be “interviewing” one of the French-themed business or association owners via Facebook Live, with the rules for qualifying included as part of the interview. We can’t say which businesses we’re working with (sorry, it’s top secret!), but the winner will have the opportunity to create an authentic French dining and culture experience right here in mid-Michigan. There will be multiple ways to enter, with one lucky winner picked at random on Sept. 10 at noon.

    Kids who attend one of the free classes during this week will also have an opportunity to win a basket filled with more than $100 worth of French learning goodies. A winner will be picked at random on Sept. 10 at noon.

    The first Facebook Live stream will be hosted by Aux Petits Soins on Monday, September 4 at 1 p.m. Then just follow the instructions in the table below to enter. Each action counts as an entry … the more you do, the more chances you have to win!

    [table id=100 /]